Friday, September 14, 2018

Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Kinnikinnick is said to be an Algonquian term meaning 'smoking mixture.'
The dried leaves were smoked by a number of coastal groups within the
last two centuries. The Nuxalk made special smoking pipes from
gooseberry stems. There is very little indication of these groups
smoking in pre-contact times, although the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian
did grow and chew the leaves of a species of tobacco, now apparently
extinct, in pre-contact times. Commercial tobacco, once it was available
on the Northwest Coast, was preferred, although some people extended
their tobacco supply by mixing it with kinnikinnick leaves. (Plants of
the Pacific Northwest Coast)

Orca J50 presumed dead but NOAA continues search
J50 was presumed dead Thursday after a search for the whale by boat,
plane and from shore failed to spot her. About 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Ken
Balcomb, founding director of the Center for Whale Research, declared
J50 presumed dead. He is on contract with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the keeper of demographic data of
the southern resident population of orca whales. But NOAA and partners
helping in the search have not given up hope, said Michael Milstein,
spokesman for the agency. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Canada’s first protected marine area coming to B.C. coast after Shell gives up exploration permits
Shell Canada Ltd. has given up offshore exploration rights, clearing the
way for the creation of Canada’s first protected marine area under the
Canada Wildlife Act. The company voluntarily released permits for about
50,000 square kilometres in an area off B.C.’s coast to allow for the
creation of the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area. The
company’s rights cover an area more than 1.5 times the size of Vancouver
Island, which is hard to value, said Shell Canada president Michael
Crothers, at a news conference on Thursday. “I hope we get some goodwill
(in return).” Even as Shell continues to explore for oil and gas
globally, Crothers said they have no plans to do so off coastal B.C.,
particularly since the waters off the west coast have been under an
exploration moratorium since 1972. (Canadian Press) See also: Could A Ban On Fishing In International Waters Become A Reality? (NPR)

B.C. municipalities call for end of open-net fish farms
The Union of B.C. Municipalities put its weight behind environmental
groups and coastal First Nations concerned about the effect of open-net
fish farms on wild salmon Wednesday, passing a resolution that urged the
province to shift the industry to closed systems. The move “represents
the evaporation of the social licence for the open-net fish farms to be
operating in the oceans of British Columbia,” said Kwikwasut’inuxw
Haxwa’mis Chief Robert Chamberlin, who is also the vice-president of the
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. A spokesperson for the B.C. Salmon Farmers
Association warned, however, that forcing the industry on-land could
mean pushing it out of B.C. altogether. Ainslie Cruickshank reports.
(StarMetro Vancouver)

Fishing to close on part of Samish River
In order to allow enough chinook salmon returning to the Samish River to
reach the Samish Hatchery north of Burlington, part of the river will
close Saturday to all fishing. The state Department of Fish &
Wildlife announced the closure Wednesday. The closure will be in effect
from the mouth of the river at Bayview-Edison Road to the Interstate 5
bridge. The closure is needed due to expected low returns of hatchery
chinook. The closure will help ensure the hatchery can collect enough
eggs for the next generation, according to a news release. If enough
eggs are collected, fishing will be reopened. Kimberly Cauvel reports.
(Skagit Valley Herald)

Research submarine arrives at Friday Harbor
Often called Earth’s final frontier, the darkest depths of the ocean
contain mysterious creatures and otherworldly habitats researchers have
only begun to discover thanks to evolving submarine technology. For the
first time, one such submarine will be arriving in the San Juans.... The
submarine arrived Sept. 8 at the labs and assisted with three local
studies: one regarding red sea urchins, another focusing on the effects
of trawling (a method of fishing and researching that scrapes the
seafloor) and the third will take a look at sand lance. Heather
Spaulding reports. (San Juan Journal)

What Dolphin Whistles Tell Us About Grief
The adult dolphin carried the limp, dead calf on her back. Occasionally,
the dolphin, presumed to be the mother, would dive into the water,
taking the carcass with her. A half-dozen Chinese white dolphins
followed closely, while a larger group trailed at a distance. When the
procession met a boat, the trailing dolphins formed up, pushing
themselves between the vessel and the central group. “They were almost
defensive,” says Matt Pine, a marine biologist at the University of
Victoria in British Columbia, who watched the scene play out in Sanniang
Bay, in southern China, in December 2014. Pine and his colleagues
turned off the boat’s engine and lowered a hydrophone into the water,
capturing audio of what they believe to be the sounds of dolphins
grieving.... The journey of the dolphin and her dead calf is remarkably
similar to that of the female killer whale J35, also known as Tahlequah,
which captured the world’s attention last month when she carried her
dead calf around the Salish Sea, off British Columbia, for 17 days.
Katarina Zimmer reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Government Study Of BPA Backs Its Safety, But Doesn't Settle Debate
Government scientists have presented new evidence that the plastic
additive BPA isn't a health threat. Low doses of the chemical given to
hundreds of rats, "did not elicit clear, biologically plausible adverse
effects," said K. Barry Delclos, a research pharmacologist at the Food
and Drug Administration's National Center for Toxicological Research.
Delclos made the remarks Thursday during an online presentation in which
he summarized an important part of a $30 million project called
CLARITY-BPA, which was launched in 2012 to resolve questions about the
chemical's safety. Jon Hamilton reports. (NPR)

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